"Like a true nature's child We were born, born to be wild We can climb so high I never want to die "

- Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf

Featured Studio Owner

Richard and Judy Dunnett
Home Video Studio - White Lake

Date: 09/24/2012

We featured Richard and Judy Dunnett as Home Video Studio's Owners of the Month nearly three years ago. Their story of coming to the US from South Africa in a corporate move, Richard's untimely layoff and their decision to pursue the dream of entrepreneurship is so inspiring we thought we'd feature it again. We also have an update following the original story:
Date: 01/17/2010
Richard Dunnett spent much of his first fifteen years in the US traveling the globe, managing the aftermarket inventory for an international corporation. Now he and his wife Judy spend their time closer to home managing and preserving the memories of their many customers. Richard and Judy Dunnett operate their home-based video business in White Lake, Michigan and they are our January 2010 Studio Owners of the Month.
On the surface the Dunnett's story looks similar to many of our husband and wife HVS teams. Richard brings a talent for administration, technical issues, and problem solving. Judy brings the flair and creative vision. "We make a great pair," Richard says in good-natured self-deprecation, "Judy has a knack for the creative and I have an abnormal capacity for the mundane!"

But while Richard and Judy's story looks familiar it begins with a different twist. The Dunnetts met, fell in love and married in their homeland of South Africa. Richard had started at Federal Mogul Corporation in his native country as a young man and through vision, determination and hard work rose through the ranks until there were no more Federal Mogul worlds to conquer there. When the opportunity arose in 1991 to relocate to the United States with Federal Mogul Richard's love for a challenge kicked in and the Dunnetts picked up, left everything they knew and most of what they had, and settled in the Detroit area.

Richard and Judy might have thought that this was a storybook "happily ever after" ending - a new life with new challenges in a new world filled with unlimited opportunity - but, after fifteen mostly idyllic years in an influential and well-compensated position Richard, like many Federal Mogul employees, fell victim to "Chapter 11 downsizing". "The irony of it all," says Richard, "was that I was let go on Friday the Thirteenth!" One might say that the greatest irony was that Friday the Thirteenth turned out to be one of the Dunnetts better days.

"Through all the downsizing, layoffs and employment uncertainty we resolved to avoid going through anything like that again," says Richard. "We actively sought out entrepreneurial opportunities that would allow us more control over our fortunes. Home Video Studio was one of several identified by Judy as a potential good fit for us." Richard, a drummer and musician at heart, had always been interested in audio recording and production; Judy had always had an eye for visuals, as evidenced by the lavish quilts she proudly makes to this day. Just one week following that Friday the 13th, Richard and Judy headed off to a Show-N-Tell presentation. "The thoroughness and organization of that presentation sold me," says Judy, "but what really impressed me was the idea that we would be 'in business for ourselves, but not by ourselves." Richard and Judy pulled the trigger and became Home Video Studio owners. Four years into operation Richard and Judy have never looked back and have reaped the profits of business ownership, the reward of self-determination and the satisfaction of providing a very valuable service to their customers. They have also taken home some serious hardware at the Annual Hanley Awards including The Rising Star Award, Best Studio Trailer, Best Use of Music, and Best DVD/CD Label Imprint.

Was the unlikely road of becoming Home Video Studio owners in a new country a good decision? Let Richard answer that question in his own words: "America truly is the land of choice. When Judy and I arrived what struck us most was the abundance of choice in so many areas - even at the grocery store - it was overwhelming." The Dunnetts, true to form, have chosen success.

Richard and Judy have certainly provided a model of inspiration for us all: When a hard working couple with a vision is presented with an opportunity to choose success good things will happen. A good thing that has happened to all of us is the pleasure of getting to know this delightful couple - Richard and Judy Dunnett, our January 2010 Studio Owners of the Month.

Update: We caught up with Richard as he was in the middle of a good October 2012 and he was kind enough to take a few minutes out of his schedule to share a few things he's seen and learned since this was originally published.

The first advice he offered was marketing consistency: "You know, HVS has a plan for success...I'm speaking especially of advertising, right now. We always make sure our web presence and our direct mail is consistently there. It's tempting sometimes to deviate from that plan and think your saving money...but it's an absolute "must" to your business that you consistently stick to your advertising campaign."

Secondly Richard talked about the "family" of HVS: "The support is just great. We had a huge project and in the middle of it my duplicator went down. With a phone call a replacement was on its way. Having a support system like that is a great benefit"
Lastly Richard spoke of follow-up: "It's so easy to think an inquiry won't amount to anything. But I've learned to respond with my best effort to every inquiry. Recently an innocent email inquiry from my website has turned into a very large job that "keeps on giving" as the customer keeps bringing more."
Richard and Judy Dunnett are still ticking nearly three years later. Here's to many more years of providing "Video Services for Everyone."

It's a Wonderful Lifestyle!

Control your life and your lifestyle. You and only you should determine your daily schedule- your hours of work and play. Start your own Home Video Studio

Here's what we'll cover at Show 'N Tell Saturday.

MAKING MONEY

The number one thing we'll cover is making money in the video business. I'll cover pricing video as well as collecting the money. What's the difference between a $500.00 video and a $5000.00 video? Are you leaving money on the table? I'll teach you how we do it! Oh... what about a $30,000.00 video?

ADVERTISING & MARKETING

This is the great unknown for most people who attempt to enter our industry. How do you get business and find clients? I'll share with you.

TRAINING & SUPPORT

I'll cover our 12 month and 21 day in person training program in depth. How do we take you from where you are now to where you want to be? We are very good at this as long as you can take that first step and get to Show 'N Tell!

STUDIO EQUIPMENT

You'll be in my studio all day so we'll definitely get into the nitty gritty on equipment and gear. How will you outfit your studio? Do you have current equipment that can be used? Maybe and if so that will save you some money.

FINANCIAL GOALS

Home Video Studio is a short cut to success. You may be looking for both financial success and creative achievements - money in the bank and an Oscar! We make no promises except to put you in an environment with others who have the same vision. Our mission is to help you achieve success as you define it.

CREATIVE GOALS

Not everyone is out to make a fortune. Home Video Studio is a very fun and exciting business and lifestyle. Want to turn your hobby into a real live functioning studio? We can do that for you. Want to get your family involved in the business? We'll help train them. This is a very family friendly business.

TRANSITIONS

We'll discuss transitions and getting started. Going to quit your job? Come out of retirement? Convert a 401k? Will you work the studio part time until you can go full time? We will start designing a plan for you at Show 'N Tell Saturday.

FUNDING

We are experts in funding and financing. If you need us to help you find the money we would be happy to. It is easy to convert a 401k or IRA with zero penalty. Many people do a refi or a home equity loan. There are other avenues as well. One of the things we do on Saturday afternoon is cover financing. It's not that difficult. If you need consultation on funding call us.

We suggest you bring your spouse/partner to our Show 'N Tell Saturday. That's our treat. You'll know a whole lot more about running a Home Video Studio by end of day on Saturday!

Show 'N Tell: A first glimpse

"Tammy and I came to a Show 'N Tell Saturday. The initial conversation was Robert talking about what it is to be a Home Video studio Owner. Of course we'd listened to the CD's over and over in our car for a couple of months. I think Then we had the presentation and we signed right there at the end of the presentation."

- John Montgomery - Newark, OH.

"Our Show 'N Tell Saturday was on May 11, 2002 - Mother's Day weekend! We were already operating our own video business, but we wanted to run it at a higher level with better equipment. We needed a plan and a system like the one offered by Home Video Studio. If you're thinking about HVS, you should go to Show 'N Tell Saturday."